Pneumatic insertion for shoes



May ll 1926. 1,584,034

A. KLo-rz PNEUMATICv INSERTION FOR SHOES Fileg June 5, 1922 /22/ recZ //a z Patented May 11, 1926.

UNITED STATES ALFRED KLOTZ, OF MUNICI-I, GERMANY.

PNEUMATICI INSERTION FOR lSHOES.

Application led June 5, 1922. Serial No. 566,027.

This invention has lreference to improvements in a'rch supports for shoes and relates more specifically to a construction of support in which that portion or area intended to support the broken down foot arch proper can be readily adjusted as regards height and stiffness to suit varying anatomical requirements, and I obtain this result by making the supporting member proper of pneumatic diameter to be inflated to the required extent by means of an air pump.

' Such an adjustable appliance, obviously, has decided advantages over the substantially unyielding and unadjustable devices of similar character now on the market. To slowly accustom theA foot to the supporter, the air cushion is at iirst pumped up butlittle and is then inflated more and more from day to day until after a time the foot correspondingly has adjusted itself to the fully pumped up cushion. The supporting surface bein of soft rubber, the device is entirely com ortable at all times and can readily be kept in sanitary condition by sponging with4 a suitable liquid.

My'invention will best be understood when described in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. l is a plan View of my improved arch supporter, and Fig. 2

a transverse section therethrough.

' My foot appliance mainly comprises the slightly arched base plate M, preferably of stiff metal, shaped to fit within 4a shoe, the

" intermediate member R, and the inflatable air cell or cushion B, of soft rubber, designed for supporting the hollow'of the foot arch and varying in size to conform to diiierent anatomical conditions. This cushion may be secured to the base plate in a variety of ways 10 and I do not confine myself to any one special manner of attachment.

, The intermediate member R of practically the size of the air cushion may be of fabric, leather, or other material, and I prefer to extend it along the inner edge to some extent beyond the substantially alined edges of the base plate and the air cushion to form a ap R1, and then turn up this extension flap as shown in Fig. 2, to then provide protection for the cushion against the latters wearlng through by directfrictional contact with the shoe wall. The air cushion is attached tothis member R in any suitable manner, pre'ferably by a rubber solution or other adhesive. The lntermediate member R may be fixed to the base plate in any suitable manner., for instance 4by means of rivets N, as

`shown merely by way' of example.v

I may also run up the inner edge of they base plate to some extent, as at M1 in Fig. 2, as a further protection against wear of the air cushion at this most friction-exposed Zone. The cushion is wedge shaped in crosssection and lits walls, where.they. converge to form the pointed curved ridge, are in'- wardly strengthened by a stiifening lining O.

I have provided aspecial design of valve V for controlling the air content in the cushion, which valve is of relatively dat construction, so as not to unduly protrude on the inside of the cushion and from the Alower face of the base plate?, as roughly shown lin Fig. 2.

The valve is permanently secured to the cushion and extends through registering ,holes in the intermediate layer R and the base plate M to which latter it is locked by a flat nut. The particular construction of thisl valve forms the subject matter of my U.

'Patent No. 1,536,870,da ted May 5, 1925.

lWhat I claim is An arch support comprising a metal base plate, a substantially flat intermediate member fixed to said base plate, aninflat'able and deflatable air cushion, having its greatest height at its inner edge, immovably attached -to the upper surface of said intermediate member, an upturned iiap ofisubstantially the sha jeof the inner .edge of said cushion integraily extending from the inner edge of said intermediate member and permanently attached to the respective cushion edge, and a relatively flat air valveanchored in said metal base plate and extending through the hase plate, said intermediate member, and

the bottom Wall of said cushion.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

ALFRED KLOTZ. 

